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Ahead of 2021 assembly polls, AASU-AJYCP tie up to form Assam Jatiya Parishad
The new regional party is among several outfits that have formally launched recently or are in the process of formation to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling coalition comprising the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) in the April election.
Two of Assam’s biggest student organizations, All Assam Students Union (AASU) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) came together on Monday to formally announce formation of a new political party, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), ahead of next year’s assembly polls.
The new regional party is among several outfits that have formally launched recently or are in the process of formation to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling coalition comprising the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) in the April election.
Both AASU and AJYCP had earlier formed a 16-member advisory committee of prominent personalities to suggest a way forward and based on their suggestions the decision to form a new political party “to secure the future of Assam and Assamese people” was taken.
“Work on our party begins from now. The organization set up across all districts will be completed by October and the party’s state-level political convention will be held in November,” said Basanta Deka, former professor of Handique Girls College, one of the two convenors of the advisory committee.
He added that the new party will follow the slogan-‘ghore ghore ami’ (we are in each household) with the aim of reaching out to every home across Assam ahead of next year’s assembly polls.
“The constitution of the party is nearly complete and its aims and ideologies would be unveiled at a later date. The party’s flag, symbol and office bearers would be announced at the November convention,” said former Gauhati University professor Krishnagopal Bhattacharya, the other convenor.
Incidentally, this will be the second political party to be formed by AASU leaders after Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which came into being in 1985 after signing of the Assam Accord that ended the six-year-long anti-foreigners agitation--in which both AASU and AJYCP played a key role.
Both organizations had spearheaded the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) stir in the state opposing the Centre’s move to grant citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan—which many in Assam feared would lead to large scale influx of Bangladeshis to the state.
“We have got very good response from the public and other organizations to the new party. Everyone who loves Assam and its people and even those in other parties with similar views are welcome to join us,” said veteran politician Jagadish Bhuyan, coordinator of AJP.
Earlier, the leadership of both AASU and AJYCP had stressed that formation of the new party won’t affect the organizations and they would retain their non-political character.
Incidentally, AJP isn’t the only political party that will make its debut in the next assembly polls.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), another outfit which spearheaded the anti-CAA stir has announced its plan to launch a political party. The outfit’s leader Akhil Gogoi, who is at present in jail since last December for his role in the anti-CAA stir, has urged all outfits to come under one umbrella.
Journalist-turned-politician Ajit Bhuyan, who became a Rajya Sabha MP earlier this year with the support of the Congress and AIUDF, has also floated an outfit called Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM). Noted lawyer Arun Borbora had launched the United Regional Party, Assam last month.
